The Brazilian defender is pleased with the ten point gap his team opened up at the summit of Ligue 1, and believes the fine form will continue when they face the Spaniards

Thiago Silva has backed Paris Saint-Germain to do “something great” when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The French champions moved temporarily 10 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win over Rennes on Friday, with Angel Di Maria’s second-half strike enough for Laurent Blanc’s much-changed side.

Having played out a 0-0 draw with Madrid in Paris earlier this month, Thiago Silva has backed his side to go one better at the Santiago Bernabeu if they can improve on their performance against Rennes.

“Winning was the most important thing, even if we did not have a very good game,” he said.

“We will reflect on what there is to do better, because we have the chance to do something in Madrid.

“We have a lot of respect for this team, but we can do something great there. Even players who aren’t used to playing had a good game [on Friday].”

Midfielder Blaise Matuidi believes PSG can take confidence from their record-breaking start to the Ligue 1 season as they prepare to meet Rafael Benitez’s side.

“We managed to play with a different team,” he said.

“We didn’t have a lot of chances, but we managed with what we had.

“Today we have 32 points from 36. We can always do better, but we’re happy. It really is a very good start to the season.

“We are happy, we know that this Tuesday will be another game. It will be a tough game, but this was good preparation. It’s always good for confidence. We did not concede opportunities.

“Winning was most important but we know it will be a different game in Madrid.”